Scout Trooper 2 Door Build

[irishtim7]

Hate to hear your setup did not work out for you especially with as much effort as you have put into it. Sounds like your on the right track to solve your situation.

My wife and I loved camping but as we got older we hated breaking camp. We started base camping by setting up the tent for about a week in an area we wanted to explore and made day trips. That worked pretty well but I bought us a teardrop camper that allowed us to move daily if we wanted to with little effort. Although we typically still stayed in one spot for at least a few days. It also solved the issue we had with to much stuff in the vehicle. It's not overlanding per say but you gets almost the same results. You just miss out on staying overnight in those really rough remote spots. I've been down a few trails I would not want to pull the teardrop.

I'm kind of sad I didn't like it more. Youtube and IG makes it look like so much fun

I'm not going to abandon the idea just yet. I'll adjust my gear and alter my approach and see how that goes. It's a learning process to see what works and what doesn't. I've got a short trip to Windrock in October and Moab sometime next year. We'll see how it goes.

I gave the trailer thing some thought and maybe I'll revisit that later on, but I want to be on terrain where trailers aren't really ideal.

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[irishtim7]

I posted a few of the 700+ pics I snapped in Ouray if you'd like to check that out.

Ouray is Seriously Epic

I think this one is my fav. Me and my buddy at 13,200 feet - Imogene Pass summit

 

[SpookyXJ]

Yeah I'm following that thread great pictures crazy hijack. We would go up there once or twice a year mostly in the fall. Usually stayed at Owl Creek Pass close to Silver Jack Reservoir. It's a little quieter and just as beautiful.

 

[AlrightAlready]

Digging the build! Exactly like my plans when I was still stuck on getting a 2 Door again. I fell to the darkside though and am now rocking 4 Doors.

 

[pokey02]

Is that a Frenchie or a Boston? How does he like camping and traveling in the jeep?

Here's my little dude

 

[irishtim7]

Is that a Frenchie or a Boston? How does he like camping and traveling in the jeep?

Here's my little dude

He's awesome!

Mine is a Boston. He loves camping and the drives in the car. I think he just tolerates the wheeling sometimes. I buckle him in on the technical trails so he's not flopping around. He doesn't much care for that. Otherwise he just goes in the back and sleeps in his bed until we stop. Then he's up and ready to meet new dogs and people.

 

[irishtim7]

Digging the build! Exactly like my plans when I was still stuck on getting a 2 Door again. I fell to the darkside though and am now rocking 4 Doors.

Well, it's still a Jeep... sort of I used to rock 4 doors. I just felt it was a little big for my tastes. Funny though, I now want another JKU so I can do a truck conversion. It never ends.

That would be in addition to the JL. I don't see me getting rid of the 2 door anytime soon. words cannot describe how much I love this Jeep.

 

[pokey02]

He's awesome!

Mine is a Boston. He loves camping and the drives in the car. I think he just tolerates the wheeling sometimes. I buckle him in on the technical trails so he's not flopping around. He doesn't much care for that. Otherwise he just goes in the back and sleeps in his bed until we stop. Then he's up and ready to meet new dogs and people.

That's awesome!

Jake loves driving in the jeep. He knows the word and runs to the garage door when he hears it. LOL. I've taken him offroad once … and, I think he tolerates it. During that trip, I had him in the passenger seat in a soft sided box that is attached to the seat. It worked pretty well. How do you fasten yours in the back? Harness buckled to the seat belt? I need to figure something else out for the 2 door JL. I think I prefer him in the back and not in the passenger seat.

 

[irishtim7]

That's awesome!

Jake loves driving in the jeep. He knows the word and runs to the garage door when he hears it. LOL. I've taken him offroad once … and, I think he tolerates it. During that trip, I had him in the passenger seat in a soft sided box that is attached to the seat. It worked pretty well. How do you fasten yours in the back? Harness buckled to the seat belt? I need to figure something else out for the 2 door JL. I think I prefer him in the back and not in the passenger seat.

I use this harness - Clickit Sport

I buckle him in the passenger front. I always have my back seat out when I'm wheeling so that's my only option. His bed just sits on my platform in the back. it's not fastened to anything.

 

[Blammmo_]

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[jalbrecht55]

An approach I’ve taken to car camping is to pack as though your hiking or maybe canoeing. I think my heaviest 11 day backcountry canoeing pack was under 70lb and that had a fair amount of cool weather and rain gear and some perishable food. You might need water also depending on where you are going.

I got to do a 8 day /1000 mile Jeep trip recently; I had about 200-250lb of gear (not including approx 60lb recovery gear and tools). I went kinda luxury bringing a cheapo amazon fridge freezer and a mostly full kitchen kit and a spare cooler “just because” that I didn’t really need. Had about 8 gallons water.

I agree with you on the set up/tear down each day but if you don’t bring much there isn’t much to set up. 20 min for a tent/sleeping stuff I guess. I premade and brought a lot of frozen ready to go meals which helped make that process easier. Less dishes and less cleanup/prep time.

I swapped my hardtop for soft and full doors for half plus soft upper which drops around 200lb total. Seemed to do well with not many of the downsides you mentioned other than some water sloshing sounds.

 

[irishtim7]

An approach I’ve taken to car camping is to pack as though your hiking or maybe canoeing. I think my heaviest 11 day backcountry canoeing pack was under 70lb and that had a fair amount of cool weather and rain gear and some perishable food. You might need water also depending on where you are going.

I got to do a 8 day /1000 mile Jeep trip recently; I had about 200-250lb of gear (not including approx 60lb recovery gear and tools). I went kinda luxury bringing a cheapo amazon fridge freezer and a mostly full kitchen kit and a spare cooler “just because” that I didn’t really need. Had about 8 gallons water.

I agree with you on the set up/tear down each day but if you don’t bring much there isn’t much to set up. 20 min for a tent/sleeping stuff I guess. I premade and brought a lot of frozen ready to go meals which helped make that process easier. Less dishes and less cleanup/prep time.

I swapped my hardtop for soft and full doors for half plus soft upper which drops around 200lb total. Seemed to do well with not many of the downsides you mentioned other than some water sloshing sounds.

Good suggestions. Thanks.

It's weird. I'm a minimalist. I can't even stand carrying my wallet everyday. But when I pack, for some reason, It's everything. I've got some ideas on how to cut down on the gear and how I pack it. I packed a lot of tools and things I didn't really need to access regularly in my storage drawer. I'm going to switch that up and put frequently used items in the drawer to make it more convenient and easier to pack.

 

[Hudson]

Can You Overland in a 2 Door?

It made it but I had to travel super slow. Still bottomed-out numerous times. After Ophir, I headed up to Alta Lakes. Same deal.

All-in-all it just wasn't fun for me. All that added weight, the bottoming-out, the slow travel, the camp kitchen rattling around, the water sloshing around...

Maybe I could lighten the gear load.

I learned a good lesson about overlanding and gear when I did a 500 mile trip on the WA Backroads Discover Road, on a Husqvarna 310cc dirt bike. Without the large paniers and carrying capacity of a big dual sport rig, you have to get super creative on weight. Here's what helped:

1. Mess kit gear - get a lightweight MSR windburner single burner stove and some titanium mess kits - leave the heavy Kitchen gear at home. Ditch the heavy fridges and the need for refrigerated food - get a smaller cooler and add ice as needed (and use the melted water to boil for cleaning and/or shower) or use nearby cold lakes/streams to keep things cool. Get a vacuum sealer and prepare your meals in advance, vacuum seal them, and freeze what you can. Get a silicon collapsible mess kit for bowls/cups, and collapsible grill.

2. Food/Water. Organize diets around food choices that don't need refrigerated food - and buy fresh food on the road in local markets (bonus is that you get to experience local produce and eats). But don't skimp on water. Consider storing the larger water containers in rotopax holders outside the Jeep, on your bumper or wherever, so you aren't bothered by the sound, and keep your drinking water in smaller full containers inside. Leave the beer at home and instead bring spirits like bourbon or whiskey if you want to enjoy a drink - no need to keep cold and it takes up less space.

3. Camp gear - Consider a synthetic sleeping back (packs light and small), an ExPed air mattress, a small tent or hammock, and a Kermit chair (comfy and folds tiny), and MSR crushable foam pillows

4. Clothes. Consider wearing LD Comfort base layer clothes. They help insulate and cool, can be dipped in water and soap and dry quickly for cleaning, and take up no space. 2-3 each of underwear and shirts is all you need, and take up no space. Wear underneath REI convertible pants and bring a cheap insulated puffy coat that packs down.

5. Tools - You won't need most of what you shlep. A good ax/machete, a universal tool kit, tire plug/patch kit, and air compressor.

Reconsider all the heavy slideouts and such. Personally, I'd settle on 1-2 lightweight locker boxes, organized so I can still see out my rear window. If it is just you and your dog, you can probably ditch half the stuff I see in your photos, and the roof rack, unless you are truly in the wilderness for extended (5 day or longer) periods.

 

[irishtim7]

@Hudson thanks for the great suggestions. I'm about halfway there in terms of the lightweight/minimal gear you suggested. I'm going to have to vehemently disagree with this statement, however.

Leave the beer at home and instead bring spirits like bourbon or whiskey if you want to enjoy a drink - no need to keep cold and it takes up less space.

A nice cold one after a long day on the trail is sublime.

Also, my diet on the trails and in camp are determined by one major litmus test.... Can it be cooked on a stick? Haha. I actually enjoy the cooking but hate the cleanup more.

 

[Krondor]

@Hudson thanks for the great suggestions. I'm about halfway there in terms of the lightweight/minimal gear you suggested. I'm going to have to vehemently disagree with this statement, however.



A nice cold one after a long day on the trail is sublime.

Also, my diet on the trails and in camp are determined by one major litmus test.... Can it be cooked on a stick? Haha. I actually enjoy the cooking but hate the cleanup more.

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